Thanumalayan Temple, Kanyakumari

The Thanumalayan Temple is of importance to both Shaivaite and Vaishnavite sects of Hinduism, as the name Stanumalaya denotesTrimurtis; "Stanu" means Siva; "Mal" means Vishnu; and the "Aya" means Brahma.

The temple is an architectural achievement, known for its quality of workmanship in stone. There are four musical pillars carved out of a single stone, and which stand at 18 feet (5.5 m) in height; these are an architectural and design highlight of the temple grounds. They are in the Alankara Mandapam area, and they emit the sounds of various musical notes when struck. There are an additional 1035 pillars with carvings in the area known as the dancing hall.^[3]

There is an Anjaneya, (or Hanuman), statue which stands at 22 feet (6.7 m) and is carved of a single granite block. It is one of the tallest statues of its type in India. It is also of historical interest that this statue was buried in the temple in 1740, fearing an attack by the Tipu Sultan and was subsequently forgotten. It was rediscovered in 1930, and subsequently restored for viewing by the then Devaswom Board Commissioner Rajya Seva Praveena Sri M.K. Neelankantha Iyer of Kottarathu Mathom, Moncompu.^[4]

There is also a Nandi statue, made of mortar and lime, which is 13 feet (4.0 m) tall and 21 feet (6.4 m) long, it is one of the biggest Nandi statues in India.

The religious significance of the temple stems from the fact that the main statue of linga represent Siva (Sthanu), Vishnu (maal) and Brahma (Ayan), (as well as giving the temple its name). The representation of the three central gods of Hinduism in one linga makes it unique in India. Anthropologically it may have stemmed from the fact that the main temple at Padmanabhapuram was Vaishnavite, and the Nanjil Pillais and other communities in Nagarcoil were primarily Shaivaites, because of the influences from Chola, Chera and Pandya kingdoms. One of the unique aspects of the temple is the presence of the gods across the length and breadth of the Hindu pantheon, from Rama and Krishna to Amman and kandan. The different Hindu sects from Vaishnavism, Shaivism, to more localised Tamil sects like amman, kandan are represented in the different idols of the temple.

Anasuya, the wife of Atri Maharishi was famous for her purity and devotion to her husband. She could perform miracles by sprinkling the ‘Holy water’ to bring rain to a parched earth or to transform objects to her desire. When the three Goddesses – Lakshmi, Saraswathy and Parvathy heard from Sage Naradha the powers of this earthly woman and wanted to test her chastity. The Goddess decided to ask their husbands God Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva to test Anasuya’s devotion to her husband. The three God’s on request of their wives transformed themselves into three old beggars and went to the hermitage where Anasuya was living and sought alms from her. When Anasuya was about to serve them food they told her that they had taken a vow whereby they could not accept alms from a person wearing clothes. Anasuya was in a caught in a awkward situation as denying alms to old men were a sin and also she could not stand dress-less in front of three men. She then got an idea of transforming the three men into three babies, so that she could serve them the alms, she prayed and sprinkled a little ‘holy water’ on the three old beggars. They were all immediately transformed into babies and removing her clothes she offered them food. The Goddesses after learning what had happened, went to Anasuya and narrated the whole incident and pleaded her to give them back their husbands. Anasuya then prayed and restored them back to their original form. Later they understood that Anasuya’s fame as the chastest woman on earth was justified. Thus the Thrimoorthy came to be represented by the Lingam at Suchindram; the bottom represents Brahma, the middle represents Vishnu and the top Shiva.